Rotating valve



April 30, 1946. J. J. DE LA ROZA, SR 2,399,472.

ROTATING VALVE Filed Jan. :5, 1944 INVENTOR. M04440 deb/902a, 5/:

Patented Apr. 30, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,399,472 ROTATING VALVE Joaquin J. de la Roza, Sr., New York, N. Y.

Application January 3, 1944, Serial No. 516,816

Claims. (Cl. 222 368) This invention relates to improvements in rotating valves and refers more particularly to a novel volumetric valve for use in transfer lines between vessels in which differential pressures and/or temperatures are maintained. The valve is particularly adapted for the discharge end of of valves had. been used to remove successive increments of material from one stage of a process and deposit them into a succeeding stage without materially affecting. conditions existing in the a respective stages. a

The design of the instant valve difiers primarily from what has gone before in the flexible or resilientmounting of an annular saddle in conjunction with a rotor so as to form a seal with the rotor at the inlet opening of the valve; The saddle positioned in the valve inlet rests upon the extremities of several of the rotor blades and is operated centrally by a port or opening corresponding in size to a bucket of the rotor (the space between the blades). Thus with rotation of the rotor increments of material will be deposited in the buckets while a seal is constantly maintained at the valve inlet between the rotor and the saddle.

In the accompanying drawing which forms part of the instant specification and which is to be read in conjunction therewith and in which like reference numerals are used to indicate like parts in the various views:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the valve.

Fig. 2 is a front sectional view showing the saddle and its mountings.

The valve design contemplates the provision of a rotor containing a plurality of buckets adapted to receive digested materials and discharge them into a blow pit or receiving vessel wherein the treating liquor is separated from the pulp.

An annular saddle arrangement is fitted to ride on top of the rotor forming a seal with the extremities of the rotor blades. The saddle is flexibly supported by means of a diaphragm possessing sufiicient strength and flexibility to permit easy rotation of the rotor and prevent lodging and accumulation of solid material between the ends of the rotor blades and the saddle. The construction is such that the saddle is free to move in the direction of flexing of the diaphragm but is precluded from movement in the plane of the diaphragm. In this manner the saddle is enabled to move while riding the rotor and maintaining the seal. At the time of assembly the diaphragm is placed under slight initial tension by springs which force the saddle downwardly seating it on the ends of the rotor blades which it contacts.

In the drawing at ill is shown a casing or housing which encloses the valve rotor I l. The rotor is fixedly mounted upon a shaft ill by means of a key l3. The top of the housing is flanged as shown at Illa to receive the flange [4a of cover M. The cover is amxed to the housing by means of bolts I5. Bosses 16 in the topof the cover are drilled to receive bolts l1. 7' In the bosses and surrounding the bolts are stufilng boxes packed as shown at It. The packing is held in place by gland nuts 19. Between the flanges of the housing and cover is a diaphragm 2B. Gaskets 2| between the cover and housing assures a pressuretight seal. Attached to the diaphragm by means of bolts 22 is. a saddle assembly consisting of an annular block 23.3.11 annular pad of flexible material 24, forming a sealing means between the saddle and the housing and an annular saddle 25.

Above the diaphragm and. surrounding the threaded end of bolts I! are springs 26 held in place by means of collars 21. The position of collars 21 on the stems of the bolts is fixed by means of cotter pins 28. The collars are located on the bolts so as to keep a constant compression upon the springs. They may be raised and lowered by adjustment of the bolts which is accomplished by application of a wrench to the heads of the bolts which extend above the cover. The lower or threaded ends of the bolts by this adjustment impose greater or lesser compression upon. springs 26 and through the springs upon the diaphragm and saddle assembly. In other words, by screwing down bolts I! the diaphragm and saddle assembly are pushed downwardly, creating greater frictional contact between the ends of the rotor blades and the arcuate surfaces of the saddle,

The aperture through the saddle defines an opening which is the width of one bucket of the rotor and the edges of the opening through the saddle contact and seal the peripherial surfaces of the rotor blades forming the walls of the bucket as they pass the saddle.

In operation the rotor shaft is turned by any suitable source of power such as a motor not shown. This brings the buckets between the blades ll of the rotor in successive alignment with the inlet passageway through the saddle 25. As each bucket or the space between the rotor blades fills with material the rotor in turning moves the bucket under the lip of the saddle, cutting ofl the supply of material to the bucket and sealing the filled bucket during its rotation to the discharge opening 29.

As the rotation continues the contents of each successive bucket received at th inlet opening will be discharged or dumped through the outlet. Inasmuch as the volume of the bucket is known, the speed of rotation will be an accurate means of controlling the volume of material discharged through the valve.

From the foregoing it will-be seen that there is provided a novel volumetric discharge valve which will at all times maintain a perfect seal between the digester and blow pit or between two containers 0r vessels between which the valve is located. The valve will compensate for "normal wear, the sharp corners of the'bucketandsaddle at the point of contact act as a shear, preventing material from lodging between'th'e rotor'and-saddle, thus enabling a tight seal to be maintained.

The assembly is such that it may be easily inspected, repaired and cleaned and by-periodi'c ad- -justment most of the difficultie encountered with the ordinary type of vol'umetric'discharge valve avoided.

Furthermore, it will be seen that the invention is one well adapted to attain all of the ends and objectshereinbefore set forth together with the advantages which are obvious'an'd which are inherent to the structure.

Having thus described my invention I claim: 1. A rotating volumetric valve comprising a housing having-inlet and outlet-ports, a rotor-in 'said housing with radial blades forming a p'lurality of buckets, a flexible diaphragm mounted adjacent said inlet'port, an annular saddle having I I the saddle and housing compressed by differential pressure to form a fluid-tight seal therebetween.

2. A rotating volumetric valve comprising a housing having inlet and outlet ports, a rotor in said housing with radial blades forming a plurality oi buckets, a fiat annular flexible diaphragm with a central aperture mounted adjacent said inlet port, an annular saddle with a funnel shaped central aperture, said saddle carried by the diaphragm and having a concave surface embracing the blade extremities'of the rotor to form a fluid-tight seal therewith, said apertures in the diaphragm and saddle forming a passageway between said inlet port and said rotor and means for varying the contacting pressure between the saddle and the rotor.

3. A rotating volumetric valve comprising a housing having inlet and outlet ports, a rotor in said housing with radial blades forming a plurality of buckets, a fiat annular flexible diaphragm with a central aperture mounte'dadjacent said-inlet port, an annular saddle with a funnel-shaped central aperture, said saddle'car- '-'ried by'the diaphragm and having a concave ur fac'e'embracing the blade extremities of the rotor to 'form a fluid-tight se'al therewith, said aper- 'tures' in the dia phragm and saddle forming'a-passageway between said inlet port and said rotor, adjustment means-contacting'the diaphragm and extending through the housing whereby contact pressure between the saddle and 'rotor-is'adjustable externally of' the housing.

4. 'A valve as in clai'm 1 in which the sealing means comprises an annular pad of flexible 'material inset in the wall of 'the saddle.

5. A valve asin claim '1 including-an-"annular 'block-a'djustably mounted on the saddle and "an annular 'pad of flexible material between the block and saddle.

JOAQUIN J. DE m ROZA, Sn. 

